Supreme Court Justice Kim Designated as Chief Auditor
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Kim Hwang-sik, 60, a Supreme Court justice, has been designated new chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), government sources said Thursday. If confirmed by the National Assembly, he will replace Jun Yoon-chul who resigned on May 13.
A native of Jangseong, South Jeolla Province, Kim began his judicial career in September 1974 at the Seoul Civil District Court after passing the 14th state bar examination. He was named as a justice in November 2005.
The parliamentary confirmation of his appointment will take time as the legislature is currently paralyzed. Opposition parties, which have boycotted the opening of the new Assembly demanding that the government renegotiate a deal to resume beef imports with the United States, are showing signs of normalizing the unicameral legislature.
The sources said the presidential office found no reasons the nominee should not be qualified for the post. Analysts said the fact that he came from the southwestern Jeolla provinces seemingly affected the designation. Currently, all the governmental assessing organs are chaired by figures from the southeastern Gyeongsang region.